Can’t Hold It When You ‘Gotta Go’? You’re Not Alone

Some of us joke about laughing so hard we have to pee, but for others, it's not quite so funny. According to a new study out of Australia, the embarrassing problem of not being able to "hold it" is something more young women deal with than previously thought.

The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, used data from over 1,000 Australian women, aged 16 to 30, who answered surveys about urinary incontinence (UI), as well as their overall health, physical activity and psychological well-being.

Researcher Susan Davis, Ph.D, chair of women’s health in the Monash University department of medicine at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, tells HealthySELF that the results of her study were somewhat surprising. Indeed, conventional wisdom is that only older adults and women who have recently given birth might have to deal with not making it to the bathroom in time, but about 13 percent of the women involved in the study — none of whom had ever been pregnant — reported experiencing UI.

Davis’ study didn’t find any connection between body mass index, past urinary tract infections (UTIs) or physical activity, but researchers did find the highest rates of UI among women who were sexually active but not using combined oral contraceptives (like the pill).

“We were most surprised regarding the relationship with sexual activity being distinct,” Davis says, “and that this seemed to be ameliorated by using the contraceptive pill.” Davis says more research is needed to understand why this might be, though urinary infections, which can be caused by sexual activity, could be one explanation.

Davis and her team also found that women with UI reported significantly lower overall well-being than women without UI; they also reported more anxiety and depression and scored lower on questions about positive well-being and self-control. That, according to Davis, is not at all surprising. “We have reported the same for older women, and one would suspect that younger women would be even more embarrassed and distressed,” she says.

If any of this sounds familiar to you, keep in mind that UI means “any involuntary leakage of urine on repeated occasions,” Davis says. If you find that you start wearing protective underwear liners, or change your activities for fear of having accidents, Davis says you should see a doctor right away to get properly assessed. And remember, you’re not alone!